Report on girls education launched

LAHORE: The annual report of Plan International Pakistan (PIP), a child rights non-government organisation, titled ‘Pathways to Power Creating Sustainable Change for Adolescent Girls’ claims that denied education; forced into marriages and subjected to violence; no one bears the brunt of poverty more than girls.

The launch ceremony and a seminar on the achievements of Early Childhood Education campaign were held at a hotel on Thursday. Education Minister Rana Mashhood, Population Welfare Minister Zakia Shahnawaz, Acting-PIP Country Director Imran Shami, PIP Advocacy Manager Safdar Raza, Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) Programme Director Ehsan Bhutta, MPAs Lubna Faisal, Raheela Khadim Hussain, Dr Alia Aftab and Shameela Aslam addressed the seminar while members of civil society, journalists, and students of different universities and community members from Layyah, Muzafargarh and Rajanpur Districts attended it.

The PIP’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign calls for girls education to be prioritised by world leaders; provision of quality secondary education to girls be a major focus of international action; funding for girls education to be increased; bringing an end to child marriages; an end to gender-based violence in and around schools; and allowing girls and boys to participate in decision-making and inspire those with power to take action.

Mashhood said that the government was giving priority to ECE campaign in the province. He said that by establishing over 1,100 ECE centres in the province, Punjab was far ahead of other province in giving attention to ECE goal.

Shahnawaz called for meaningful participation of girls and women in nation-building efforts.
Shami demanded investment in girls’ education with focus on the ECE and bringing violence against girls to an end. Bhutta emphasised the need for scaling up the ECE model introduced by the PIP.